Coronavirus (Covid-19)
Samut Sakhon governor recovering from Covid-19, to be taken off ventilator

The Samut Sakhon governor is recovering from Covid-19 and is expected to be taken off a ventilator today. 58 year old Verasak Vichitsangsri was in “severe condition” after contracting the virus on December 27, according to the Bangkok Post. His infection was reported just a week after the outbreak at a major seafood market in the province where hundreds of migrant workers tested positive for Covid-19.
The governor is nearly fully recovered and his overall condition has improved by 90%, according to the dean of Siriraj Hospital Faculty of Medicine, Prasit Watanapa. Once Verasak is discharged, doctors say the governor should rest for at least 14 days to give time for his lungs to recover. If he wants to work, doctors say he should work from home.
After testing positive for Covid-19 on December 27, the governor was admitted to Samut Sakhon Hospital with symptoms of a sore throat and cough. He was then transferred to Siriraj Hospital after being diagnosed with lung inflammation. On December 31, the spokesperson for the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration announced the governor was on a ventilator, but was otherwise in good condition and under good care of doctors. The governor was treated with the antiviral drug Favipiravir.
Over the weekend, x-rays showed the condition of the governor’s that the lungs had improved and his blood-oxygen levels were rising. Doctors then decreased the use of a ventilator for the governor and lowered his doses of muscle relaxants and sleeping pills.
Prasit says the governor has responded well to treatment. Verasak’s recent blood tests show a normal reading with kidneys and digestive systems working fine, according to Prasit. The governor is expected to be taken off the ventilator today.
Verasak’s wife, who also tested positive for Covid-19, has recovered and been discharged from the hospital.
SOURCE: Bangkok Post
Catch up with the latest daily “Thailand News Today” here on The Thaiger.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Coronavirus (Covid-19)
CCSA Update: 59 new Covid-19 cases and 1 death

The new wave of cases has been on a downward slope in recent weeks. Today’s count of 59 new Covid-19 cases is the lowest daily count since mid-December. A coronavirus-related death was also reported today in the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration’s daily briefing.
A 48 year old Thai woman died after testing positive for Covid-19. The woman worked as a driver for migrant workers. No other information was released about her in the CCSA’s English-language report. It’s unclear if she had pre-existing conditions.
Out of the 59 new Covid-19 cases, 28 are local transmissions, 23 cases were detected in proactive testing and 8 cases detected in quarantine for those entering Thailand from abroad.
Since the start of the pandemic, Thailand has reported a total of 12,653 Covid-19 cases and 71 deaths. The new wave of Covid-19 cases has spread to 62 of Thailand’s 77 provinces.

Active Covid-19 cases in Thailand as of January 19, according to Worldometers.
SOURCE:CCSA
Catch up with the latest daily “Thailand News Today” here on The Thaiger.
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Economy
Shoppers disgruntled as registration for co-payment scheme fills up in 10 minutes

Social media users are up in arms after registration for the government’s Kon La Khreung (“Let’s Go Halves”) co-payment scheme filled up within 10 minutes. The scheme, first introduced as an economic stimulus measure in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, gives shoppers 50% off the purchase of everyday items, up to 150 baht a day and capped at 3,500 baht for the duration of the scheme.
The third phase of registration had a quota of 1.34 million users, but interested parties had to be quick. Having lost their chance to register, many disgruntled people took to social media to complain, with the hashtag #คนละครึ่งเฟส3 (#Let’s Go Halves3) trending on Twitter.
Several netizens say they filled out the online registration form at exactly 6.01am but were then forced to wait for the one-time password to be delivered to their phones before they could complete the process. In many instances, by the time they received the OTP code, registration was full. Some say they had to wait over 5 minutes to receive the password, which caused them to miss the small window for registration.
According to a Nation Thailand report, one person has described the scheme as nothing more than a government PR stunt, pointing out that, despite being funded by taxpayers’ money, only some people can avail of it.
SOURCE: Nation Thailand
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
Coronavirus (Covid-19)
AstraZeneca vaccine could be approved for emergency use in Thailand this week

Thailand’s Food and Drug Administration is likely to approve a Covid-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca in partnership with Oxford University as early as this week. The vaccine, already given the go-ahead in the US and UK, would be approved for emergency use, with administration likely to begin next month. Healthcare workers and those with underlying conditions will be prioritised.
Opas Karnkawinpong from the Disease Control Department says the FDA’s review of the vaccine’s efficacy and safety is going well. Thailand has fallen behind its neighbours in terms of vaccine administration, with a number of countries in the region already starting their roll-out. Indonesia kicked things off last week, with President Joko Widodo the first to receive China’s Sinovac jab.
Thailand is expected to take delivery of 200,000 doses of the Chinese vaccine next month, but questions linger over its efficacy, which was recently revised downwards by researchers in Brazil. The vaccine has not yet completed phase 3 trials and Thailand’s health officials say it may not gain FDA approval until February 14, as the manufacturer has no representation in the Kingdom.
Thailand has signed a technology-transfer agreement with AstraZeneca to produce that vaccine locally. The jab will be manufactured by Siam Bioscience, a pharmaceutical company owned by the Monarchy. Surachok Tangwiwat from the FDA says the doses currently subject to approval have been produced by other countries, but did not specify which ones, how many doses have been imported, or at what cost.
The AstraZeneca vaccine has completed phase 3 trials and has been shown to be 70% effective, less than the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. However, the World Health Organisation has previously stated that a vaccine only needs to be over 50% effective to meet the global threshold for regulatory approval.
SOURCE: Coconuts
Keep in contact with The Thaiger by following our Facebook page.
Never miss out on future posts by following The Thaiger.
- Crime2 days ago
Australian man wanted for allegedly sexually abusing children in Thailand
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)3 days ago
Thailand’s PM says he won’t let Thais become vaccine “guinea pigs”
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)3 days ago
Thailand threw a tourism party. No one arrived.
- Bangkok3 days ago
BTS skytrain maximum fare rate increasing to 158 baht despite backlash
- Bangkok2 days ago
Police raid Bangkok restaurant, more than 80 people face charges for violating Emergency Decree
- Air Pollution3 days ago
Thailand on fire – NASA satellite website tracks the country’s farm fires
- Crime3 days ago
Police say at least 2 people to be arrested in Bangkok bomb attack – UPDATE
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)1 day ago
Record number of tourism firms quitting Covid-ravaged sector for good
Paulnou
Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 1:14 pm
good news, showing that we can mostly survive from that strong flu, but we should mourn the tourism the millions of jobs with relevant pains, jobs lost for long time, and its trillion income to support a good part of the Thai economy.
Issan John
Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 1:54 pm
Good news, albeit showing that it doesn’t just affect the elderly and infirm but also those considerably younger.
… and for @Manu, note that “the governor was treated with the antiviral drug Favipiravir”, which is now routine, NOT with “the protocole hydroxychloroquine + azithromycin”, which is NOT.
Bill
Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 9:07 pm
59 is the new 39 IJ? The survival rate is 99% up to age 59. (https://ourworldindata.org/mortality-risk-covid). Odds of dying in a car crash in the states has the same death rate not to mention the injuries. Given the choice, I’ll take covid every single day. Small pox variola major used to ravage the world with 30% death rates. Put a smile on tho, you should be looking forward to death, you will either being going to heaven or coming back as a pattaya ladyboy. lol. 🙂
Efforts regarding covid would be better spent enforcing traffic laws. Nm tho, can’t argue with stupid.
Issan John
Friday, January 15, 2021 at 7:06 pm
Sorry, no idea what the reference to “39” is.
Nipral
Friday, January 15, 2021 at 6:21 am
Thanks Dr 😂😂😂😂!
Nipral
Friday, January 15, 2021 at 7:55 am
Thanks Dr ! LOL